New Delhi, December 27: The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has successfully facilitated refunds amounting to Rs 45 crore, addressing 67,265 consumer grievances related to refund claims across 31 sectors during the eight-month period from April 25-December 26 this year.
The NCH is a flagship initiative of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India play a crucial role in effective, timely and pre-litigation redressal of consumer grievances across the country.
Operating at the pre-litigation stage under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, NCH enables speedy, inexpensive and amicable resolution of disputes, thereby reducing the burden on Consumer Commissions.
The e-commerce sector recorded the highest number of grievances and refunds, with 39,965 grievances resulting in refunds of Rs 32 crore. This was followed by the Travel and Tourism sector, which registered 4,050 grievances and refunds amounting to Rs 3.5 crore.
The top five sectors that contributed more than 85 percent of the total refunds, along with the number of grievances received and the corresponding refund amounts are: E-Commerce (Grievances: 39,965; Refunds: Rs 320,680,198); Travel & Tourism (Grievances: 4,050; Refunded: Rs 35,222102); Agency Services (Grievances: 957; Refunded: 13,497,714); Electronics Products (Grievances: 635; Refunded: Rs 11,725,231); Airlines (Grievances: 668; Refunded 9,556,843).
The expeditious facilitation of Rs 45 crore in refunds in the month of 25th April to 26th December 2025 not only demonstrates the efficacy and responsiveness of the helpline but also highlights its critical role in ensuring hassle-free and time-bound grievance redressal. It further reinforces the importance of NCH as an essential instrument at the pre-litigation stage, promoting trust and transparency in the marketplace.
This helpline has emerged as a single point of access for consumers across the country to seek grievance redressal at the pre-litigation stage. Consumers can register their grievances in 17 languages through a toll-free number 1915. Grievances can also be submitted through the Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM), an omni-channel, IT-enabled central portal. Multiple channels are available for this purpose, including WhatsApp (8800001915), SMS (8800001915), email (nch-ca[at]gov[dot]in), the NCH app, the web portal (www.consumerhelpline.gov.in), and the Umang app, offering flexibility and convenience to consumers.
